Reflective Journal Entry 4
Most of you have been teaching for several weeks. Patterns are probably beginning to emerge and classroom routines are probably making you feel more comfortable than you were when you started. Can you still see the teacher that you started this semester wanting to be? Are you satisfied that you're actually teaching or are you concerned that you may be getting immersed in playing the "game of school*?" Assess your teaching so far. What are you doing well, and what do you know you need to work on? What evidence are you seeing for both your successes and difficulties? What are you determined to change and why?
After teaching for the last several weeks, I think I've seen my skills evolve from a day to day basis. Each day through trying new things and new methods of doing things, I've had the opportunity to learn both through my cooperating teachers and my students. Although I'm not entirely concerned about becoming immersed in the game of school, I have noticed that the significant difference between teaching in the middle school compared to the high school. In the high school, I tried to prepare students for college with not only providing them with the adequate biology knowledge needed to succeed, but also the proper study skills they would need to successfully take notes in college. Throughout lectures (made into powerpoints), I would include a few slides with a lot of information. From this information, students were asked to pick out what information was important and what information wasn't needed to understand the material. This will prepare them for note-taking in college. In the middle school however, although they need these skills for college as well, it's also important to teach them organizational skills such as what to write down in their agenda, as well as simplifying notes so they can understand. Especially at Exeter-West Greenwich Junior High, I quickly realized that these students learn better by doing things rather than hearing and seeing things. So far, I've tried to incorporate as much hands on lessons as possible, which is fairly simple when learning about earthquakes and volcanoes.
One thing I would say I have been most impressed with since I started teaching was reaching out to students who are struggling. In both high school and middle school I was a student who struggled to stay focused and wasn't stimulated to put forth my best effort with my work. Through my experiences, I've realized that by creating personal connections to these students has allowed me to earn mutual respect from these students, and in part by doing so has seen tremendous increases in grades with a variety of students. Some students however (for reasons inside or outside school) haven't had the same kind of success seen by most students in these situations, so one thing I'm determined to do is to captivate the interests of all of these students allowing them to reach their full potential in my class.
- none
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Reflective Journal Entry 4
Most of you have been teaching for several weeks. Patterns are probably beginning to emerge and classroom routines are probably making you feel more comfortable than you were when you started. Can you still see the teacher that you started this semester wanting to be? Are you satisfied that you're actually teaching or are you concerned that you may be getting immersed in playing the "game of school*?" Assess your teaching so far. What are you doing well, and what do you know you need to work on? What evidence are you seeing for both your successes and difficulties? What are you determined to change and why?
After teaching for the last several weeks, I think I've seen my skills evolve from a day to day basis. Each day through trying new things and new methods of doing things, I've had the opportunity to learn both through my cooperating teachers and my students. Although I'm not entirely concerned about becoming immersed in the game of school, I have noticed that the significant difference between teaching in the middle school compared to the high school. In the high school, I tried to prepare students for college with not only providing them with the adequate biology knowledge needed to succeed, but also the proper study skills they would need to successfully take notes in college. Throughout lectures (made into powerpoints), I would include a few slides with a lot of information. From this information, students were asked to pick out what information was important and what information wasn't needed to understand the material. This will prepare them for note-taking in college. In the middle school however, although they need these skills for college as well, it's also important to teach them organizational skills such as what to write down in their agenda, as well as simplifying notes so they can understand. Especially at Exeter-West Greenwich Junior High, I quickly realized that these students learn better by doing things rather than hearing and seeing things. So far, I've tried to incorporate as much hands on lessons as possible, which is fairly simple when learning about earthquakes and volcanoes.
One thing I would say I have been most impressed with since I started teaching was reaching out to students who are struggling. In both high school and middle school I was a student who struggled to stay focused and wasn't stimulated to put forth my best effort with my work. Through my experiences, I've realized that by creating personal connections to these students has allowed me to earn mutual respect from these students, and in part by doing so has seen tremendous increases in grades with a variety of students. Some students however (for reasons inside or outside school) haven't had the same kind of success seen by most students in these situations, so one thing I'm determined to do is to captivate the interests of all of these students allowing them to reach their full potential in my class.